Skincare Advice From a Recently Turned 30 Year Old

In your teens, the only concern you have regarding your skin is how to get rid of the huge zit on your face before it’s time to get your yearbook photo taken. Your 20s are spent perfecting your skincare routine, perhaps upgrading to organic face wash (look at you being fancy and shopping in the Whole Foods beauty section) or beginning the use of anti-aging moisturizers as you gracefully slide into your late 20s. But then year 30 actually hits. This is when you find yourself googling snail face masks and considering blowing your money on a plane ticket to Korea just to stock up on new cutting edge skincare products.

Suddenly skincare becomes a major priority, and although no one else seems to see the wrinkles on your face, you swear they are now there! Your 30s are the time to really upgrade your skincare routine and prepare for the battle ahead. (And if the 40s are represented by that episode of the Real Housewives of the O.C. where Heather starts bleeding through her dress due to her leeching experimentation in the name of youthful looking skin, then NO THANKS, I think I choose stay in my 30s forever. No more aging for me.)

Here are a few ways I suggest upgrading your skincare routine:

1) Add Serums

Serums are more potent and more powerful than regular moisturizers. The good ones will be filled with awesome ingredients such as Vitamin A, retinol, Vitamin E, or CoQ10. You can put them on underneath your regular moisturizer. Here are some of my favorites-

Sircuit Cosmeceuticals Infusion-A: I kind of love everything from this brand, but this serum is especially good for those with sensitive skin or people who have irritation with traditional retinol

2) Take Collagen

After the age of 30, collagen production in our body begins to heavily decline. We all know that collagen is used in plastic surgery to plump up skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, but in the past, studies proved inconclusive if ingesting collagen tablets had any benefit on the skin. However, more recent studies have shown that taking collagen tablets has positive effects. Not only do collagen tablets reduce the look of wrinkles that you already have, but they can also help to increase your own body’s production of collagen which helps prevent further wrinkles from occurring. I try to take 6 collagen tablets a day (trying not to choke and die.)

3) Exfoliate

You’ve probably been exfoliating since you were a teen, but the older you get, the more important it is to exfoliate. Exfoliating gets rid of dead tired skin, and makes way for healthier looking skin. It’s what gives you that J-Lo glow. My mom recommends the Exfolikate by Kate Somerville:

4) Don’t Forget Your Neck

It’s something you don’t really think about when you’re younger, but anything you are putting on your face, you should also be putting on your neck!

5) Ask Mom for Advice

There are certainly ways to reduce the appearance of aging somewhat, but the truth is that a lot of it has to do with genes. Look at your mom for advice and ask her what her trouble spots seem to be. There’s a good chance that you will age in a similar way, so you can start treating these areas now.

6) STOP DOING DRUGS

Seriously though. Obviously there are plenty of other significant reasons to stop smoking cigarettes and doing drugs, but if you don’t care about cancer and disease, at least maybe you care about the way you look? There are people I know in their 20s who already look like they are in their 30s and it’s solely due to smoking cigarettes. And if you’re also doing cocaine or other drugs, you can tack on another 5 years at least. Trust me, you look stupid now, but you’re going to look even worse later on. Just stop.